The King of Fighters 2002 was second-to-last King of Fighters of the Neo Geo era… But since we’ve done 2003 a long time ago, it’s the last one in this series. Much like 1998, it was a non-canon “Dream Match” game, which featured lots of characters from previous games, some of the teams even being named after a previous game (K”s team being called “KoF ’99 Team”, for instance). It was also the second and last King of Fighters to feature one of my favourite girls in the series, Angel. As an Eolith character, she could not remain after SNK-Playmore got the franchise back.

Anyway, the theme I chose this week is not one of the teams’ themes. Instead, it’s a stage theme, playing in Cambodia. “Deserted Town” is a badass, almost metal track, and certainly my favourite of the new songs featured in KoF 2002.

Composers: Tate Norio, Masahiko Hataya
Game: The King of Fighters 2002: Challenge to Ultimate Battle
Song: Deserted Town (Cambodia Stage)